Messages

I finished this one while the site was down and thought I would share it with you.

Here's the back story that I found on the Internet.

1-History by Jim Forte, on Flickr

I use the 1/18 scale GMP Trans Am Camaro as a donor, in this case, their Todco version (versus the Donohue version I used for the University of Pittsburg model).

20181208_113251 by Jim Forte, on Flickr

20181208_113453 by Jim Forte, on Flickr

As usual, I strip the model down to bare metal and repaint.  In this case, I used a Duplicolor Dover White over two coats of primer.

IMG_E4447 by Jim Forte, on Flickr

IMG_4636 by Jim Forte, on Flickr

I then try to find source photos, both in period and contemporary, to make sure that my decal artist has the most accurate references possible.

Here's a picture of the Chamberlain Camaro being raced in the Vintage Trans Am series.

Side-Right by Jim Forte, on Flickr

The side stripe decals were complex, in that I needed to center the Lennox and Arrow Heating logos over the respective wheel openings, while also maintaining a continuity to the stripes.  We did this by making a five part decal.

IMG_4644 by Jim Forte, on Flickr

I then applied each one as appropriate and trimmed accordingly.  Here's the final product.

IMG_4654 by Jim Forte, on Flickr

7-Front Quarter by Jim Forte, on Flickr

9-Rear by Jim Forte, on Flickr

6-Front Above by Jim Forte, on Flickr

For questions like this, I always go to the Racing Sports Cars website first.

https://www.racingsportscars.com/driver/archive/Bob-Kiefer-USA.html

Many of you know that my interest in First Generation Camaros stems from the fact that my first race car was the 1969 Camaro pictured in my avatar.  Also, one of the reasons I came to this message board was to acquire information to help me create 1/18 scale diecast replicas of 1969 Camaros.

I just finished my most recent one and wanted to share it with you.

My source model for this one was the GMP #9 Penske Sunoco version, created with the vinyl roof.  I think we all know the story behind that one, so I won't belabor it here.  Here's a picture of the donor model before all the paint was stripped down to the basic diecast metal.

1-Donor by Jim Forte, on Flickr

Here are some source pictures I found on the Internet of the car as it raced, as well as how it is currently presented.

Pepsi by Jim Forte, on Flickr

IMG_3873 by Jim Forte, on Flickr

Blown Engine by Jim Forte, on Flickr

Contemporary Front Quarter-2 by Jim Forte, on Flickr

Contemporary Side by Jim Forte, on Flickr

And here are pictures of my model.

IMG_4366 by Jim Forte, on Flickr

IMG_4365 by Jim Forte, on Flickr

While the blue color may look similar to the Sunoco Camaro, my research showed that the Pitt Camaro was painted in the school color of Pitt Royal Blue.  I did some more research and found the Pantone code for the paint and contacted an online paint supplier who custom mixed a rattle can of the color for me.  I gave them, as well as my decal artist, credit on the back of the model.

IMG_4367 by Jim Forte, on Flickr

I am currently working on one more custom 1969 Trans Am Camaro, and hope to have it completed soon.

I wish I had more detailed pictures of the 1969 that I bought in 1975, and then sold around 1986.  Photography wasn't a strong suit back then for me.

Here's a picture of the back of my car (excuse the picture of my son - who is now in his 40's).

It has a fuel cell, with an inlet from the cap you can see in the center of the rear spoiler.

There were two outlets, one at each corner of the cell.  I brought them to the middle for a common -6 line.

After I bought it, I put a check valve in the lines, and made everything AeroQuip from the cell to the carb.

img020 by Jim Forte, on Flickr

Here you can see the fuel line coming through the firewall to a bulkhead "T" (right below an electric junction box!), and heading toward the carb.

photo11 by Jim Forte, on Flickr

This is the engine compartment when I bought the car, notice all the rubber fuel lines!  I moved the fuel filter back to the trunk as I rebuilt it.

photo2 by Jim Forte, on Flickr

Again, with I had more pictures.

I bought one of these when they first came out, and then lost it.

Bought another one this past week, and the day it arrived, I found the original one.

I paid $35 on Amazon with free shipping for the new one.

Will sell it for $30 shipped to the Continental US 48 States for the first one to PM me.

Gone!

I bought one of these when they first came out, and then lost it.

Bought another one this past week, and the day it arrived, I found the original one.

I paid $35 on Amazon with free shipping for the new one.

Will sell it for $30 shipped to the Continental US 48 States for the first one to PM me.

Jon, or any else know this one ? '67 "Hugger Camaro" looks like Kent, Washington ?  in period judging by the full size '67 Chevy

tow car and second '67 Chevy on the right. I looked at the results for the '67 Kent Trans-Am and didn't see that car, might have

missed it ?

(photo: no credit found)

Mike

From the Racing Sports Cars website.

https://www.racingsportscars.com/photo/Kent-1968-10-06.html

https://www.racingsportscars.com/photo/1968/Kent-1968-10-06-019.jpg

One of my favorite sources of information is the Racing Sports Cars website.  https://www.racingsportscars.com/

Here's the search for John Elliott.  https://www.racingsportscars.com/driver/archive/John-Elliott-USA.html

Includes a couple of pictures not shown above.

Scott - Do you have any photos of Charlie Thieriot, who drove an Alfa Romero GTA at the 1970 Trans Am races at Road America, Watkins Glen, and Riverside?  Thanks - Mark

Can I assume you have looked on the Racing Sports Car website?

https://www.racingsportscars.com/driver/archive/Charles-Thieriot-USA.html

Question...Why are the lights taped up?

Headlights and driving lights were taped over at the start of endurance races, in order to avoid them being damaged by debris.

Once the need for the lights was determined by the approaching darkness, the tape would be removed from the hopefully intact lights.

Here's a picture of another '69 Camaro at Sebring in 1972.

bolus-01-low by Jim Forte, on Flickr

Man, what's not to like about that? Some creative differences, but still a great recreation!

Thanks!

It has already been pointed out to me that the rear spoiler should match the rest of the car, and that correction is in process.

I apologize for reopening an older thread but wanted to display a custom 1/18 scale diecast model that I completed today.

Following a great deal of research, including information from this forum, I was able to have a decal artist create a sheet that, hopefully, replicates the livery of the Warren Agor '69 Camaro.

My donor model was a GMP Todco Camaro, which we disassembled, stripped of the original paint, and then repainted and added our custom decals.

Donor:

20181208_113251 by Jim Forte, on Flickr

20181208_113453 by Jim Forte, on Flickr

I hope folks here appreciate the amount of effort required to produce a one-of-a-kind custom diecast model like this, and that you will approve of me sharing it at this time.

Final Reference Photo

Untitled by Jim Forte, on Flickr

Final Model

IMG_6562 by Jim Forte, on Flickr

Just as an aside.

I was in the garage area at the Can Am race at Texas International Speedway in College Station, Texas in November 1969.

The two factory McLaren racers of Bruce McLaren and Denny Hulme had Tonawanda stickers on their valve covers.

...and this of complimentary interest, a history of MIS with specific reference to the road course/circuit related above.  Perhaps my 'makeshift' comment seen above would be considered harsh, but it hardly seems as though the entries trying to negotiate the what seems a very narrow outside the oval road course are just focusing on not going off, nor harboring much hope of passing or making up places given others are in the same boat.  Thanks...

https://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/2015/06/racing-rain/

Mike K./Swede70

Texas International Speedway, built contemporary to MIS, offered a different road course layout.

The primary difference was that it was run in the same direction as the oval, making the first turn essentially a downhill left that had a broad sweeping radius.

I raced there in three different cars, my first '69 Camaro, then a C3-chassisied '82 bodied Corvette, and finally our Trans Am spec '86 Camaro.

There were cones placed in the outer catch fence that gave us a three, two, one countdown to the corner entry.

We'd achieve about 180 mph at the S/F line in both the Corvette and later Camaro, and would start shutting down at the second cone.

I asked a friend who raced a Formula Ford where he started his braking, and he told me the middle of Turn Two.

texas-world-speedway-college-station-texas by Jim Forte, on Flickr

I have often wondered why the MIS road course was run backwards, and had that abrupt almost 90 degree right hander from the road course onto the banking.

https://www.racingsportscars.com/driver/archive/John-Cordts-CDN.html?page=2

Good picture of the Firebird at the 1970 Watkins Glen Trans Am race.